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Tag Archives: 30 before 30

Originally posted in April of 2014, my 30 Before 30 list laid out a few tasks, large and small, that I hoped to accomplish by this month. I didn’t do so hot…but you know me. I love my lists. And I have no guilt for not rounding this one out.

However the MOST EXCITING THING that I have yet to share on the blog is SO FUN that it deserves its own post…so stay tuned 🙂 Though if you read through my list you can probably make a pretty good guess on what it’s going to be. See you here later this week!

I haven’t been around as much lately here on the blogosphere, and there are many reasons for that. First, I haven’t been doing anything particularly crafty outside of the musical we just wrapped up. Second, to be honest, there is SO MUCH HAPPENING in life right now that blogging just doesn’t fall high on my list. There are also a lot of moving parts that I’m not really ready to share here yet, so it seems hard to come up with anything different to tell you about.

But today I realized I am THREE WEEKS away from my 30th birthday…WHEN DID IT GET TO BE SO LATE IN THE SUMMER? This means that my 30 before 30 list is nearing it’s end.

Guys, I totally sucked at this. I think this will be my last list-type mission on this blog…Where did my motivation for crossing off lists go?? As of now, I am 15/30 complete…a whopping 50%. The good news is I have ONE REALLY BIG one pending, that should be wrapped up before my birthday!! More on that when it’s official…no jinxing here. Maybe I’ll manage to make a cheesecake in the next three weeks, too (now accepting your best recipes).

I’m not going to make excuses or explain why some of these items have not been accomplished… life is life, am I right?!

I also think my 30th birthday may mean some changes for this blog. It has truly been a personal journal for me for the last SEVEN YEARS (wow), and while I’ve enjoyed it, I certainly haven’t become any big blogging star. I expect I might write through some of the transitions that are coming up this fall, but beyond that… I’m not sure yet!

What would you like to see? Personal stories and ramblings? Food photography? Home improvement projects? Are you even still reading this post??

THANK YOU for hanging with me, online and in real life. Thank you for your comments and your shout outs. You are the BEST!!!

The leading soprano, Camille Zamora, was wonderful. The entire first opera was JUST HER on stage, singing, for 45-minutes. In French. (There were surtitles, no worries.) THEN she had the stamina to turn around and star in the second opera, in Italian, along with a rather large and talented cast. She definitely lived up to the hype.

A quick glimpse of the cast of Pagliacci.

Another scene of Paggliaccii

So as you can see on my list, I still have many items to go, many of which are a bit unlikely to happen at this point…but I’ll keep you posted as I work through them this summer.

This has been one of my favorite projects to date. Something I’ve wanted to do for a long time… And recently, on my birthday (which was a Sunday), I ACTUALLY took the time out to dive into this project, and I TOTALLY LOVED IT.

If you’re feeling crafty, there are a million tutorials out there for ribbon wreaths and many beautiful ideas for house divided wreaths. This is not a tutorial. This more of a “show off my good work” post and direct you to my etsy store if you’d like me to make one for you… What can I say – just trying to get more merchandise in there as promised in my 30 before 30 list!

So what do you think?? It’s a little pricey to make, due to ALL THAT RIBBON, but I kind of love it.

And the Green Bay / Titans ribbon?? That’s what happens when you’re hubby is home sick and bored – he orders it for you as a surprise and it appears in your mailbox one day. PRETTY RAD, AM I RIGHT?!

FINALLY. I feel like I have talked about a color run FOREVER. But we did it, and we had fun, and we got dirty, and I loved it. I’m not completely sure that I would pay $50 to do it again, if there were enough people getting a group together, I may just be persuaded. More color to the face next time!!

In the last year or two, we’ve all (and by “we” I mean the very very many of us who stuck around Nashville after college) have scattered around the country a bit, with hugs and tears and promises of all of us moving back to Nashville someday and being neighbors and having babies together and all that good stuff. I really, truly truly TRULY hope that happens. But in the meantime, it’s a perfect excuse to travel around the country a bit and visit some of my favorite people.

The lovely KMiller (now an Atlanta resident) and I (now a Columbus resident) recently traveled to visit Christen (now a San Fran resident) for a most fabulous girls weekend. Never take for granted the ease of spending time with good friends, complete with snuggles, wine, and most importantly, cheese.

Adventures of the weekend included…

Katy and I renting bikes to do a little classic touristy Fisherman’s Wharf exploring…

Bike rentals.

Pretty boats!

This is my artistic lifesaver shot.

Maybe, possibly, two trips to Ghirardelli Square…don’t judge us!!

Nailed it.

A view of the Golden Gate from this side of things…

Picturesque.

Obligatory Golden Gate Selfie!!

And a hike with a view of the Golden Gate from THIS side of things…

I mean.

We might have also found a random winery. With tastings. I’m not complaining.

We found a winery…

And after adventures at the Farmer’s Market and the winery, we made a snuggly homemade meal. Included is….a salad with fresh arugula, figs, goat cheese, and pears. A huge loaf of homemade bread with triple cream cheese (WHA! I know, right?). Homemade salad dressing. Fresh olive oil and herbs. And of course, wine.

Farmer’s Market Meal

Yes, we all discussed the choice to wear maxi dresses on the same night…Pictured here from left to right is: Yours Truly, Christen the lovely host, and Katy, my SEC love.

Love these ladies!

If you are a lady, with lady friends, in other cities, GO VISIT THEM!! And while Columbus may not be at the top of your travel list…my door is always open to you!!

I’ve always wanted to have some herbs growing outside my kitchen window, so finally, here we are! My lovely friend Katy got me this sweet herb planter for our wedding last summer, and I was so happy to finally put it to use.

So the two plants you see are cilantro, which I bought already blooming. The little pot on the left has basil seeds in it, but no basil quite yet. I have LOVED having this right outside my kitchen door when we want cilantro. And hopefully soon, basil!